Lidl shows appetite with food waste drive

Supermarket chain Lidl has streamlined its organic recycling operations and appointed PDM to handle all of its food waste.

This builds on an initial arrangement under which PDM collected just unsold meat produce. Vegetables, fruit and bread will also now be included in the collections.

All of Lidl's non-meat waste products will be processed through PDM's ReFood anaerobic digestion process, while meat is rendered through the company's network of recycling facilities.

A spokesperson for Lidl said the new arrangement was part of the company's wider sustainability drive and would contribute to the generation of renewable energy.

"An element of unsold, out of date food produce is unavoidable in retail, but as a company we're committed to seeing our waste recycled rather than ending up in landfill - we currently recycle 92 % of our waste," he said.

The supermarket chain's waste produce is transported from stores to regional depots so that collections can be made from one location, reducing carbon emissions.